Why that is darn right easy. I would say it would have to be that two presidents have come from the great state of Texas.

Our own George Double You Bush is from here. Why, just the other day I shat a big one and then looked down. It looked just like good ole GWB. It was kinda hard to tell because he was wearing a burka. I took this as being a look into the future as he was trying to escape his War Crimes Tribunal. But, you know, I am still pleased as punch to know that he came from Texas, no matter what he has gone and done.

Why, then there is the grand daddy of all politicians, Lyndon B. Johnson, LBJ if you will. Now wait aminit, I knows he was suppose to have bought all those Mexican votes in the south of Texas and then later was ousted from running again cause of his mis handlin of NAM but just remember there were some proud moments too, like when he pulled up his shirt and showed us his scar. Why, I was so proud to be Texan at that moment in time.

Ahh Terry, I was just having some fun with LBJ's memory to tease you Texans. Actually, I consider him one of the better presidents of our time. If it were not for Viet Nam, he would be tops in my book. After all, he was almost singlehandedly responsible for getting the 1964 and 1965 Civil Right Acts passed.

May I remind you, W was born in Connecticut and went to school @ Yale and Harvard. His Daddy was born in Massachusetts....the whole family is New Englanders who reside in Texas because of the Tax Laws here...

Texas Pride comes from a lot of things...I've lived all over the world but no place else feels like home for me...

Indoctoration starts early here...a required course in school is "Texas History" totally seperate from your History or American History class...we're taught at a very young age that we should be proud to be Texan, etc..etc...

I know it sounds funny, but so many of the people in my life (Texans) all say the same thing when they leave the State....as soon as that plane touches down on Texas Soil or we cross that border into Texas...we wanna run out and kiss the ground.

smalltownboy saidMay I remind you, W was born in Connecticut and went to school @ Yale and Harvard. His Daddy was born in Massachusetts....the whole family is New Englanders who reside in Texas because of the Tax Laws here...

Texas Pride comes from a lot of things...I've lived all over the world but no place else feels like home for me...

Indoctoration starts early here...a required course in school is "Texas History" totally seperate from your History or American History class...we're taught at a very young age that we should be proud to be Texan, etc..etc...

I know it sounds funny, but so many of the people in my life (Texans) all say the same thing when they leave the State....as soon as that plane touches down on Texas Soil or we cross that border into Texas...we wanna run out and kiss the ground.

I know its strange, but that's just the way it is for most of us.

THAT sounds really nice. So what is it? Why do you want to kiss the ground? Texas seems like a very proud stste.

smalltownboy saidIndoctoration starts early here...a required course in school is "Texas History" totally seperate from your History or American History class...we're taught at a very young age that we should be proud to be Texan, etc..etc...

KissingPro said THAT sounds really nice. So what is it? Why do you want to kiss the ground? Texas seems like a very proud stste.

I can't really explain. It's just a state of mind sorta thing, I suppose.

I think each generation of Texans feed it to their kids and it just becomes part of your mindset.

Like I said, I've lived all over the world (my Dad worked in Oil, imagine that!) and I really enjoyed living in other places, but I always couldn't wait to get back to Texas.

I told my friends once that while living in Philly, I returned home to visit my family and the minute I saw the Houston skyline from my plane window, I started to get all teary at just the sight of it...

I'm a New Englander who moved here in 1995. No matter where I've been or what I've been doing in the days prior, when that plane approaches Austin's airport, I get a warm peaceful feeling that I've arrived to a great home (not that depressed feeling one gets when a vacation is decidedly over). Yes, I want to get out and kiss the ground.

- Each corner of the state is vastly different from the other, so you get chuhuahuan desert, eastern pine forest, the extreme southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, the Hill Country, hundreds of miles of beaches (better to the south), high plains, oak savannah, blackland prairie, dramatic canyons, etc.

- They may pull the wrong (to me) lever in the voting booth on certain candidates/issues, but to a person Texans are the friendliest, most unpretentious folks around (Dallas notwithstanding). I'll never forget how a team of Bush-loving ruggers from Midland took in the gay rugby team from Austin and showed them a good match and a great party afterward.

- Easy to network here. Be passionate about something and you'll find a person or group to help you realize your dreams. It's actually a rather "pay it forward" sort of place.

- The almighty chili pepper and, by extension, the cuisine.

- Toobing (floating lazily for 4 hours down the river in an inner tube, with an extra inner tube to hold the packed beer cooler).

- Warm weather.

- Violent storms.

- Increasingly, I'm loving Texas music. Most Texas musicians eschew fame for staying put and doing what they love without the tabloid press ruining them. We often get our great musicians all to ourselves.

- The vague sense that you're in a wild, anything-goes kind of place, which keeps you on your toes, keeps you open minded, and basically provides a mild sense of being on a lifelong adventure (probably just a transplant mindset).

- Real estate can be found cheap, but still in good neighborhoods.

- Strong identity. People still consider it practically another country.

You're way more Texan than average. You're parents were probably from here too. We're glad to have you. You probably go to the border for Christmas shopping and are well versed in BBQ, Mexican Food and .. well thats pretty much it.

XRuggerATX saidI'm a New Englander who moved here in 1995. No matter where I've been or what I've been doing in the days prior, when that plane approaches Austin's airport, I get a warm peaceful feeling that I've arrived to a great home (not that depressed feeling one gets when a vacation is decidedly over). Yes, I want to get out and kiss the ground.

- Each corner of the state is vastly different from the other, so you get chuhuahuan desert, eastern pine forest, the extreme southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, the Hill Country, hundreds of miles of beaches (better to the south), high plains, oak savannah, blackland prairie, dramatic canyons, etc.

- They may pull the wrong (to me) lever in the voting booth on certain candidates/issues, but to a person Texans are the friendliest, most unpretentious folks around (Dallas notwithstanding). I'll never forget how a team of Bush-loving ruggers from Midland took in the gay rugby team from Austin and showed them a good match and a great party afterward.

- Easy to network here. Be passionate about something and you'll find a person or group to help you realize your dreams. It's actually a rather "pay it forward" sort of place.

- The almighty chili pepper and, by extension, the cuisine.

- Toobing (floating lazily for 4 hours down the river in an inner tube, with an extra inner tube to hold the packed beer cooler).

- Warm weather.

- Violent storms.

- Increasingly, I'm loving Texas music. Most Texas musicians eschew fame for staying put and doing what they love without the tabloid press ruining them. We often get our great musicians all to ourselves.

- The vague sense that you're in a wild, anything-goes kind of place, which keeps you on your toes, keeps you open minded, and basically provides a mild sense of being on a lifelong adventure (probably just a transplant mindset).

- Real estate can be found cheap, but still in good neighborhoods.

- Strong identity. People still consider it practically another country.

Ok now, why all the hate on Dallas? You get what you look for here I think. That said, I'd almost say Dallas is more transplants than natives. I know plenty of flakes here but I've made some very interesting and quality friends as well.

Anyway, in my experience I'd say Texas seems a place that people love to hate. That to me indicates some degree of envy. I'm just saying...

RedKoste saidOk now, why all the hate on Dallas? You get what you look for here I think. That said, I'd almost say Dallas is more transplants than natives. I know plenty of flakes here but I've made some very interesting and quality friends as well.

Anyway, in my experience I'd say Texas seems a place that people love to hate. That to me indicates some degree of envy. I'm just saying...

RedKoste saidOk now, why all the hate on Dallas? You get what you look for here I think. That said, I'd almost say Dallas is more transplants than natives. I know plenty of flakes here but I've made some very interesting and quality friends as well.

Anyway, in my experience I'd say Texas seems a place that people love to hate. That to me indicates some degree of envy. I'm just saying...

Eh...I have honestly never enjoyed myself in Dallas. The people, the city itself....it just doesn't do it for me.

Not to derail the thread but there's no way you two went to my haunts here. Maybe I'm just easier to please but I've found good things in all the larger Texas cities I've been to. That would even include Houston, Galveston and San Antonio. Although I suppose it would be possible to have a bad time anywhere under the right circumstances.

I should actually mention Ft. Worth. Which is my favorite of the two "twin" cities here. It's got a downtown that you actually enjoy walking around and a good amount of shops, restaurants and nightlife there as well. Any place with the world's largest honky tonk can't be all bad can it?

Anyway I'm not accusing anyone of anything but some guys are starting to sound a bit like the way we Dallas guys are being characterized. That being said, it's cool. Stay where you are, if everyone lived here I'd have no good excuse to do any traveling.

RedKoste saidNot to derail the thread but there's no way you two went to my haunts here. Maybe I'm just easier to please but I've found good things in all the larger Texas cities I've been to. That would even include Houston, Galveston and San Antonio. Although I suppose it would be possible to have a bad time anywhere under the right circumstances.

I should actually mention Ft. Worth. Which is my favorite of the two "twin" cities here. It's got a downtown that you actually enjoy walking around and a good amount of shops, restaurants and nightlife there as well. Any place with the world's largest honky tonk can't be all bad can it?

Anyway I'm not accusing anyone of anything but some guys are starting to sound a bit like the way we Dallas guys are being characterized. That being said, it's cool. Stay where you are, if everyone lived here I'd have no good excuse to do any traveling.

Without the ruggers, I would have slit my wrists visiting Dallas all those times.

To each his own...I know.

It's a big state and there's plenty to love (the orig purpose of this thread).

You're way more Texan than average. You're parents were probably from here too. We're glad to have you. You probably go to the border for Christmas shopping and are well versed in BBQ, Mexican Food and .. well thats pretty much it.

I think Texas is more of an idea for people. Its so big and has so many different regions, it is like its own country. My family set up shop on a ranch in the 1850's just west of Austin and founded Bee Caves. All this talk of it being cheap...well, if you want a house with a view, or on a lake, or on the coast, you will pay premium prices, that are often not that much bettet than in Cali or NY. Many areas where its so cheap...well, once you get there and look around, you realize why its so cheap.

I have to admit, I am drawn to areas of the world where the terrain and even the flora are similar (to central Texas). So, yeah, Texas has an effect on me, but I am more found of ocean and mountains, and lots of it, so Texas does not draw me in.

For those who have not been - go into padre national seashore, enter just south of corpus and drive down about 20-30+ miles (need 4x4)- there is usually very little trash, its 20 degrees cooler than Corpus, no people and the water is actually clear with green and blue tones, plan on camping on the beach or go early for the day. Other areas to see, Davis Mountains and Guadalupe peaks and Sonoroa caverns off the I-10 3 hours west of Austin.

I forgot, as far as being "proud" in Texas terms..- well, I can skin a deer pretty fast, catch rattlers (for eating), remove ticks with their heads still on, catch deep water bass and sheer sheep. But these things dont help with anything in LA.